CVE-2026-53863: OpenClaw Tool Group Policy Callers Could Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-985f-72mj-8gf7
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CWE-639
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-53863 is a MODERATE tool group policy callers could vulnerability (CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves tool group policy callers could accept unvalidated group ids. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.4.25.

CVE-2026-53863 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-53863
GHSA Identifier GHSA-985f-72mj-8gf7
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-53863

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected OpenClaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.4.25 
npm install openclaw@2026.4.25
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-53863, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of OpenClaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.4.25), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key, where the system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data. In OpenClaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary Tool group policy callers could accept unvalidated group IDs. In affected versions, a caller that can supply a group id to the affected policy resolver could resolve policy for an unvalidated group id. This advisory is scoped to the named feature and configuration. It does not change OpenClaw's trusted-operator model: authenticated Gateway operators, installed plugins, and intentional local execution surfaces remain trusted unless a separate policy, approval, allowlist, sandbox, or auth boundary is crossed. ### Impact When the affected feature is enabled and reachable, this could apply the wrong group-policy decision for a tool invocation. Practical impact depends on the operator's configuration and whether lower-trust input can reach that path. ### Patched Versions The first stable patched version is `2026.4.25`. ### Mitigations avoid exposing group-policy controlled tools to untrusted senders until patched. As general hardening, keep channel and tool allowlists narrow, avoid sharing one Gateway between mutually untrusted users, and disable the affected feature when it is not needed.

CVE-2026-53863 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.4.25
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.4.25
2026.4.25

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-985f-72mj-8gf7
NVD — CVE-2026-53863 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53863
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-unvalidated-group-id-acceptance-in-tool-group-policy

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-53863?
CVE-2026-53863 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving Tool group policy callers could accept unvalidated group IDs under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.4.25 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-53863?
Upgrading to 2026.4.25 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.4.25. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.4.25 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-53863?
CVE-2026-53863 is classified under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (The system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-53863?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-985f-72mj-8gf7",
  "modified" : "2026-06-18T13:04:37Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-18T13:04:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-53863" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: Tool group policy callers could accept unvalidated group IDs",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nTool group policy callers could accept unvalidated group IDs. In affected versions, a caller that can supply a group id to the affected policy resolver could resolve policy for an unvalidated group id.\n\nThis advisory is scoped to the named feature and configuration. It does not change OpenClaw's trusted-operator model: authenticated Gateway operators, installed plugins, and intentional local execution surfaces remain trusted unless a separate policy, approval, allowlist, sandbox, or auth boundary is crossed.\n\n### Impact\n\nWhen the affected feature is enabled and reachable, this could apply the wrong group-policy decision for a tool invocation. Practical impact depends on the operator's configuration and whether lower-trust input can reach that path.\n\n### Patched Versions\n\nThe first stable patched version is `2026.4.25`.\n\n### Mitigations\n\navoid exposing group-policy controlled tools to untrusted senders until patched. As general hardening, keep channel and tool allowlists narrow, avoid sharing one Gateway between mutually untrusted users, and disable the affected feature when it is not needed.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.4.25"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.4.24"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-985f-72mj-8gf7"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53863"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-unvalidated-group-id-acceptance-in-tool-group-policy"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-639" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-18T13:04:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}